The present invention relates to fluid filter media and more particularly to a unique and novel arrangement for uniformly forming and spacing opposed pleat flanks of successive pleats of pleated filter media to provide a novel unified pleated filter product which can be produced by the unified inventive method as set forth herein.
As is indicated in the related patent applications, U.S. Ser. No. 10/317,437 and No. 10/748,365, various arrangements are known in the filtration art for forming pleated filter media material and spacing the successive pleats in geometrically configured planar and cylindrical cartridges produced by such forming arrangements. In this regard, attention is directed to some of the prior art noted in the related U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/317,437, filed on Dec. 12, 2002 by Kyung-Ju Choi. More specifically, attention is directed to the pleat spacer arrangement of U.S. Pat. No. 3,351,920, issued to C. G. Hart on Oct. 6, 1970, and to the spaced incremental spacer arrangement of U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,555, issued to K. Enbom on Dec. 10, 1991, wherein the spacer increments successively align in spaced relation between adjacent pleat flanks to space the same. Further attention is directed to the embossed spacer and dimple arrangements of the respective U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,290,447, issued Mar. 1, 1994, to H. J. Lippold and No. 5,306,321, issued on Apr. 26, 1994, to R. J. Osendorf. Further attention is directed to the cartridge filter configuration of U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,597, issued to R. J. Osendorf on Jun. 27, 1995. Further attention is directed to the several different method arrangements for forming pleated filters as are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,804,014, issued to K. Kahler on Sep. 8, 1998; and to the four patents issued to Kyung-Ju Choi, namely, No. 6,159,318 on Dec. 12, 2000; No. 6,165,242, issued Dec. 26, 2000; No. 6,254,653, issued Jul. 3, 2001; and No. 6,398,839, issued Jun. 4, 2002. Finally, attention is directed to the several incremental pleat spacer arrangements disclosed in U.S. Patents issued to H. J. Lippold, namely: No. 5,028,331, issued on Jul. 2, 1991; No. 5,053,131, issued on Oct. 1, 1991; No. 5,066,319, issued on Nov. 19, 1991; No. 5,098,202, issued Feb. 18, 1992; and to Publ. No. U.S. 2002/003324 A1, published Mar. 21, 2002.
None of these aforedescribed several patents however discloses or even suggests the unified, unique, novel, straight-forward, efficient and economical method and apparatus involving pleating and spacing adjacent successive opposed flanks of adjacent pleats to provide uniformly extending selected V-shaped, stable pleat spacing arrangements with selected geometric configurations and with a minimum of parts and a minimum of steps, optimizing stable performance characteristics with reduced pressure drops and even further effectively utilizing and inventively adding to the know-how of prior arrangements including, but not limited to, those set forth in the aforedescribed patents and co-pending patent application.
In accordance with the present invention, a unified, unique and novel filter arrangement including a method and product is provided to allow for efficient and low pressure drop fluid filtration operations—particularly air filtration—and for ready formation of selected planar and/or cylindrical geometric configuration with readily selected stable spacing arrangements between adjacent pleat flanks.
Various other features of the present invention will become obvious to one skilled in the art upon reading the disclosure set forth herein.